


Forgiveness

by WriteMyWayOut



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, F/F, Mutual Pining, Post-Volume 5, Slow Burn, there's some fluff in there too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-04-24 21:15:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14363841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WriteMyWayOut/pseuds/WriteMyWayOut
Summary: Before departing for Atlas, Team RWBY embarks on what should be a relatively simple Search and Destroy mission in the forests of Anima, and both Blake and Yang welcome it as a distraction from the rift that The Fall of Beacon has left between them. But things don't exactly go as planned and as the situation gets rapidly worse the two must figure out a way to fix things before it's too late.





	1. Prologue

Yang knelt on the forest floor, arms wrapped tightly around her body. 

 

Like maybe that could smother the fire burning out of control inside her chest. Spots flashed in her vision as she struggled to breathe, to move, to think.

 

_ Why does  _ everyone  _ leave? _

 

A sob tore out of her, then another. Some small part of her knew this was stupid, that her noise and her feelings were attracting every creature of Grimm in this Maidens-forsaken ravine. Most of her was too far gone to care. Let them come. It would give her something to hit. She really needed to hit something right now.

 

She curled tighter into herself, reaching for some calm and coming up empty. 

 

She couldn’t make herself look away from that shadowy gap just ahead of her, the gap Blake had disappeared into, slipping through Yang’s fingers like smoke. There, and then gone again. 

 

And now Yang was alone.

  
  



	2. Chapter 1

_ Three Days Earlier _

 

Yang knelt amongst a pile of Grimm carcasses leaking black essence into the air, panting heavily. She reached up with one hand to wipe off the sweat that had collected on her forehead, swiping at the strands of blonde hair that clung to her face. 

The familiar feeling of the end of a fight began to sink in- the slow ebb of adrenaline that revealed aches and pains she hadn’t even noticed, the return of her awareness beyond when her next enemy would pounce.

 

Her eyes flicked around the clearing, finding her teammates one by one. There was Ruby, to the right- her cheeks flushed and her hair tangled but unscathed. Weiss, on Yang’s left, flashing her signature thumbs up. That just left-

 

Yang craned her neck to see over her shoulder and found her eyes locked with Blake's, felt a pang of relief that she kept telling herself wasn’t necessary as Blake flashed her a small smile. Yang gave a small nod before quickly turning away and pushing herself to her feet. “That was a thing.”

 

Ruby folded Crescent Rose, sliding it into place underneath her hood. “We’d better keep going. There’s still a few hours before sunset.”

 

Yang nodded, hiding a wince at the thought of dragging her aching body another couple of miles over the rough terrain. At least her semblance was fully charged for another fight.

 

They made slow progress- even Ruby didn’t seem to mind that their pace had dragged. After three days of non-stop waves of Grimm everyone was tired and banged up. Yang trudged forward, forcing her feet to shuffle across the uneven ground, trying to ignore the pain in her shoulders and back. Every time she woke up in the morning on this mission she discovered a new muscle in her back that had twisted itself into a painful knot. Of course it would help if she wasn’t sleeping on the hard ground every night. What wouldn’t she give for a night on a soft, warm bed. Or at least a meal of something other than ration packs…

 

“Hey.” Yang jumped in surprise when Blake appeared from nowhere at her side. Blake held up a hand. “Just me.”

 

Yang gave a terse nod, a bit of tension releasing from her shoulders, right hand wrapping around her left to stop its shaking. “Hey,” she managed, even though her chest was suddenly tight and her tongue felt heavy in her mouth.

 

Blake didn’t say anything else, but kept pace at Yang’s side. Yang wasn’t sure if Blake was waiting for  _ her  _ to say something, or if she just wanted to walk in silence. Either way, the quiet made her uneasy. The mechanical fingers of her right hand drummed against her thigh, and the movement caught Blake’s eyes. But as soon as she saw the metal, she averted her gaze, as of even looking at it hurt.

 

_ Please,  _ Yang wanted to say.  _ Look at it. Look at  _ me. 

 

Instead she said nothing and let the uncomfortable silence continue.

 

She'd been doing that a lot lately.

 

“Ruby, I understand that this mission is important but can we stop and rest before we all keel over and die?” Weiss groaned, pausing to tug her combat skirt free of a tangle of brambles.

 

“I  _ know  _ you guys are tired, but this is our first real mission! I  _ promise  _ we’ll stop soon but we should try to get a bit farther. Is everyone’s aura okay?”

 

Yang pulled out her scroll to check. Her aura was in the yellow, but she could hold on a little longer. She snuck a glance at Blake’s scroll beside her and felt a jolt as she saw her partner’s aura was just a few points away from dropping into red. “Are you-”

 

“It’s fine.” Blake snapped her scroll closed, slipping it back into the pocket of her coat. “We’re all good, Ruby.”

 

Ruby flashed a thumbs-up. “Great! But if anyone’s aura goes red, we stop. Immediately. Got it?”

 

Yang took sidelong look at Blake, trying to catch her eye.  _ Are you okay?  _ She wanted to ask. Blake had been pushing herself hard since her arrival in Mistral, hard enough that sometimes her intensity scared even Yang.

A part of her wanted to reach out and intertwine her fingers through her partner’s. But Blake stood on her right, and Yang decided to spare herself from seeing Blake flinch away from the touch of metal against skin. 

 

In front of them, Weiss and Ruby had continued to bicker.  _ At least  _ something  _ in this team is back to normal.  _

 

It was just about the only thing that was. She and Blake were not the same- Yang felt off-kilter, awkward instead of confident around her partner. The next thing out of her mouth could be the thing that made Blake bolt. And the team had been apart for so long that they could barely work together as a unit anymore. It was a wonder that they'd been allowed to take this Search and Destroy mission.

 

This mission would change that, though. It was their first chance to prove themselves to Qrow, to Ozpin.  _ And,  _ Yang couldn’t help but think,  _ to ourselves. _

 


	3. Chapter 3

Blake hissed as a drop of cold water rolled down her neck, followed by another and another, and suddenly the rain was coming down in sheets so thick she could barely see five feet in front of her. Only Yang’s golden hair- nearly glowing, even in the gloom- kept her on the path.

Rain soaked into Blake’s skin, drenching her clothes before she had the chance to think about taking her raincoat out of her pack. Her hair clung to her face and she flattened her cat ears to her skull. Everything was heavy with water and the path dissolved into thick, sticky mud that clung to everything. It seemed like the storm was trying to drag them all down into the earth.

While Blake curled away from the rain, Yang let out a whoop and threw her arms wide. Not even this downpour could dim her fire. Blake found herself laughing too as Yang tossed her head back, letting drops of water run down her face.  
Then she caught sight of Yang’s arm and her laughter died in her throat, choked out by guilt that rushed to the surface.

Lightning flashed up ahead and Blake reached up to cover her faunus ears as a near deafening crack of thunder sounded.

Yang tucked her arms back into her sides, her smile sliding away. “Rubes, that was pretty close,” she called over the wind.

Ruby nodded and Blake breathed out a quiet sigh of relief as she brought them to a halt at the bottom of a cliff-face riddled with craggy caves. “Okay guys, we’re gonna stop here and wait out the storm! I need someone to come with me to sweep these caves.”

It was a perfect excuse to get out of the rain as soon as possible. Her hand shot up. But just as Ruby had begun to turn to her, Yang cut in.

“I’ll go.”

Blake turned, eyes narrowing, hands up in front of her. “Oh, it’s alright Yang, I don’t mind-”

Yang shrugged, her face impossible to read. “I have more aura left than you. We don’t know what to expect inside those caves. I should go.”

Something in Yang’s tone made Blake feel like she should be apologizing. For what, she wasn’t sure. Maybe just existing.

Ruby’s eyes darted back and forth between her sister and Blake, a deer caught between two predators. “O-okay! Cool! Yang, lets go. We’ll leave our packs here with Blake and Weiss.”

As the others disappeared into the rocks, Weiss clucked her tongue the way she always did when she was going to tell someone they were doing something stupid.

“What?” Blake didn’t have the energy to be sharp or defensive. She just sighed, preparing herself for a lecture.

“You two are infuriating to listen to,” Weiss jerked her chin towards the cave mouth. “Honestly, you’d think you were the one that cut her arm off.”

Blake chewed her lip, staring at the ground. “I _left_ her. She has every right to be angry.”

“I wasn’t talking about _her_.” Weiss punctuated her response with an eye roll. “I’m talking about you.”

Blake’s head shot up, her eyes widening in confusion. “W-what?”

Weiss rolled her eyes again. “You can barely look at her without getting all mopey and guilty.”

Blake’s face flushed, she fumbled for words she couldn’t find to explain herself. “Well, I-”

“It’s not my place to interfere-”

“So _don’t_ -”

Weiss shot Blake a death-glare as she pushed on. “But you’re both my teammates and as irritating as you both might be, I care about you both. So shut up and listen to me, Belladonna.”

Blake had never been cared for quite so… aggressively before, but she knew that that was just Weiss’ way. She raised an eyebrow. “Are you trying to give me advice, or…?”

“Have you two talked at all?”

  
Without meaning to, Blake thought back to the night she had seen Yang again. The way the two of them had spent the night talking and talking until both of their voices were hoarse. The night when Blake had thought maybe, just maybe, things could be fixed between the two of them. “Once,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Weiss sighed. “That’s a start. But these things take time, Blake. And you two need to start working things out before someone gets hurt.”

Blake could feel a lump forming in her throat. She took deep breaths, trying to keep her voice steady. At least if she cried it would be hidden by the rain. “... We tried. I don’t know what else to do”

Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head. “I don’t know either. But distractions like these never end well.”

Blake needed an out, now. She brushed past Weiss, starting towards the caves. “We should go check on Ruby and Yang. They’ve been gone for a while.”

“You know I’m right!” Weiss called as she hurried to catch up.

Maybe Weiss was right. Maybe she wasn’t. All Blake knew for sure was that the Fall seened to pollute the air between her and Yang like a poison.  
She wasn’t sure it was a poison that could be cured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who's read this so far, I really appreciate the support! This chapter is later than I intended- I got sidetracked working on my fics for Bumbleby Week. But it's here and next update should be faster. Enjoy!


	4. Chapter 4

 

Finding a cavern that they could shelter in had been way more difficult than they’d expected. Most of the spaces in this cave system were too narrow and cramped to fit Yang and Ruby, let alone their whole team and all their gear.

 

But this one was spacious and  comfortable, just about perfect.

 

Except for the Deathstalker.  _ That  _ was kind of a problem.

Yang dodged as the monster shot its tail at her, its stinger passing within inches of her face as she bent backwards into a handspring and came back up on her feet, Ember Celias unfolding around her fists.

 

“Wait!” Ruby called out, holding up a hand that brought Yang to a halt before she could strike. “It doesn’t make any sense to take it on here, it’s too confined. Let’s get out into the open.”

 

Yang shot a glance at the narrow opening behind them leading out into the open air. It was a tight fit, and it wasn’t going to allow for a very quick exit.

 

“Go!” Ruby insisted. “I’ll cover you and follow with my semblance.”

 

it was better than getting skewered to the cave walls by a Deathstalker. Yang squeezed her way through the tunnel, stone scraping painfully against her bare skin until she stumbled out into the forest on the other side. “Ruby, I’m through!”   
  


Seconds after she finished calling out, Ruby appeared in a flash of crimson, pausing only to grab Yang’s arm and yell “Run!” before taking off as the Deathstalker burst out of the cliff-face in a shower of debris. Yang threw up an arm to protect her head from falling chunks of rock as she and Ruby ran back to where they had left Blake and Weiss. The rain turned the terrain into a slippery death-trap, but they didn't have far to-

 

_ Wham!  _ As they crested a hill Yang was knocked off her feet as she ran full tilt into something- no, some _ one.  _ Yang found herself in a tangled, wet heap with none other than Blake herself.

 

“Blake, there’s-”

 

“We were just coming to- Yang, look out!” Yang threw herself forward as a Deathstalker claw closed around empty space that would have been her head without Blake’s warning.

 

“Yeah. There’s a Deathstalker.” Yang finished. “And thanks.”

 

“Less chatting, more hunting!” Weiss snapped as she readied her sword.

 

Ruby began barking out orders. “Weiss, immobilize its tail! Blake, you and I can distract its claws. Yang- your semblance is charged?” Yang gave a terse nod. “Good. We’ll give you an opening. Try to put a crack in its armour.”

 

Yang backed away from the fight, giving the others room to do their thing. Weiss was first to strike, springing into the air and shooting a jet of ice that left the monster’s tail frozen in place. 

 

“Ladybug!” At Ruby’s command, she and Blake began to slash at the Deathstalker’s claws with their weapons, darting back and forth to make themselves hard to catch. The monster let out a squeal of protest and began to flail wildly, and Yang dropped into a crouch, coiled, waiting-

_ Now.  _ As soon as its head was exposed Yang took off at a sprint and launched herself into the air, activating her semblance as she shot towards the weak point in the creature’s armour. There was a satisfying crunch as her fist connected with bone plating, sending spiderweb cracks along the Deathstaker’s back. Several punches later her fists hit flesh and the creature howled, thrashing back and forth. 

 

“Yang!” Yang looked up to see Weiss, face pale, struggling to keep the tail in place. “I can't hold it much longer, you have to-”

 

Too late. The ice splintered, setting the stinger free, and Yang was about to be skewered on the other end of it. She rolled, but the creature’s back was slick with blood and rain, and she lost her footing. She squeezed her eyes shut, shielding her head with her hands.  _ Please let my Aura block this… _

 

Then suddenly there was a rush of air and water, and Yang found herself several feet away from the Deathstalker, next to a panting Ruby. She grinned. “Nice save, sis!”

 

Ruby’s expression stayed grim-  _ or Grimm, heh.  _ “It's not over yet.” 

 

But Weiss had picked herself up and was balancing on a Glyph above the crack Yang had opened in the monster’s armour. She jumped, angling Myrtenaster downwards so that it skewered the monster through to its belly. The creature gave a squeal, and then another as Weiss stabbed it again, before its legs gave out and it collapsed onto the forest floor with a dull thud. For a second, there was silence.

 

Weiss dropped her head into the hilt of Myrtenaster, which was still several inches deep in Grimm-carcass, and let out a string of curses so long and unique that Yang was almost impressed.

 

Ruby winced. “Sorry, guys! If I'd known the caves had Grimm like  _ this  _ I would have stayed away. I figured- they looked too small to have stuff that size.”

 

“It’s okay, Ruby. We all make mistakes,” Blake assured her. Yang gave her a nod of thanks. Ruby was way too hard on herself sometimes.

 

Weiss pulled herself to her feet, yanking her weapon out of the Deathstalker and eying it with disgust. She sheathed it and hopped to the ground, throwing up a splash that left mud on her combat skirt and prompting another bout of swearing.

 

“ _ Language,  _ Schnee,” Yang said teasingly. “What would Ms. Manners say?”

 

“Until  _ she  _ tromps through Grimm-infested forests in the pouring rain without a proper meal, bed, or change of clothes I don't particularly care _what_ she  says,” Weiss snapped, storming over to the rest of them. 

 

“Aww, Weiss, just a few more days.” Ruby grinned, and as usual Weiss softened instantly. Yang had to stop herself from laughing at how  _ completely obvious  _ those two were.

 

Weiss sighed, her shoulders slumping. “Any more Grimm coming?”

 

Ruby shook her head. “Not that we saw but we might want to do a quick sweep of the area to make sure no more of these guys are hiding out.” She jabbed a thumb at the Grimm carcass.

 

“Good idea. We can make sure they’re not  _ stalking  _ us, eh?” Yang’s pun was met with a mix of eye-rolls and groans. “Everyone’s a critic.”

 

“Come on, let's head out,” Ruby said, shaking her head and Yang’s joke. Clearly appreciation for good humour came from the Branwen side. 

 

But as soon as Ruby took a step she let out a yelp, bending over to clutch at her left leg. Yang was at her side in an instant. “Ruby! What's wrong?” Ruby gave her best ‘I'm fine’ smile but Yang hadn't lived with her for sixteen years without learning to recognize when things really weren't. “Let me see your leg.”

 

Ruby hesitated, but a stern look from Weiss made her peel her hands- _ blood covered hands,  _ Yang noted with a pang of fear-away from her injury.

 

It was a thin cut, but it was pretty deep. Yang knelt to get a better look. “Did its tail get you?” 

 

“I- I dunno! It might have been just it's claw it all happened pretty fast it's really no big deal guys  _ please.”  _ The words tumbled out in a rush.

 

Blake knelt at Yang’s side and Yang hated herself for the little thrill she felt as their shoulders brushed. “If this was from its tail, then it  _is_ a  big deal, Ruby.”

 

Ruby looked trapped, hands held up defensively, eyes wide and worried. “I don't want to mess up our mission.”

 

“You  _ dolt.”  _ Weiss had her  _ do not cross me  _ look on her face. “This mission isn't worth you dying or losing your entire leg. Even if it isn't poisoned, it could get easily infected out here in the mud.”

 

“Weiss is right. I know being half-robot half-sisters would be cool, but…” Yang knew her voice was shaking but she was  _ not  _ going to freak out. Not when her little sister needed her.

 

Ruby dropped her gaze to her feet, eyes filling with tears. “O-okay. I- I don't know. It's tail could have clipped me when I was getting Yang away,” she admitted slowly, like the words hurt her to say.

 

Yang did her best to stay calm, but- it was just- she'd seen how bad Deathstalker toxin could be. And now her baby sister could have that stuff running through her body. Because of a stupid mistake Yang had made. 

 

“Yang, it's okay.” Yang vaguely registered Blake’s hand on her shoulder. “She's going to be just fine.”

 

Weiss was already calling someone on her scroll, and Yang found herself thanking the universe for her sister’s partner.

 

“Can you get me the first aid kit?” she asked weakly. Blake rummaged through the bag before pressing a roll of gauze into her hand. Yang wrapped it tightly around Ruby’s leg. “How's that sis?” 

 

Ruby tentatively moved her leg back and forth. “It's good. It'll hold. Really, Yang, I'm not dying or anything. I swear.”

 

“Well as long as you swear.” Yang hated how choked her voice had gotten, over something that was really not that big a deal. They were within a day’s walk of a village, they'd have the poison’s antidote. Qrow and the others were there finding supplies and transport and they could take care of Ruby. They could get help soon- probably before Ruby felt any of the effects of the venom. But she was still panicking more than a little. She'd let her sister go through who knew what to get to Mistral on her own and here she was letting her get hurt all over again. 

 

Weiss finished her conversation on her scroll and rejoined them with a huff. “They say that we’re in a bad spot for them to properly land an airship, so they want Ruby to walk back to the village.”

 

“I'll go on my own so that-”

 

“Absolutely  _ not,”  _ Everyone else cut Ruby off before she could finish her sentence.

 

“I'll take you there Ruby, then try to track down these two later,” Weiss said. “We’re almost done anyway. It’ll just take a few more days to sweep the rest of the quadrant.”

 

“Oh, I can take her.” Yang honestly hadn’t even considered  _ not  _ going with Ruby- it just wasn’t an option. Her little sister needed her.

 

“Your aura is still low right now, Yang. You should be resting, not hiking miles with your injured sister.” Now it was Yang’s turn to be on the receiving end of Weiss’ no-nonsense glare.

 

“But, I-”

 

Weiss didn’t let Yang finish her argument.“I can take excellent care of her. You have nothing to worry about.”

 

“I just… I don't want to leave you, Ruby.”  _ Not again. _

 

Ruby, by some miracle, managed a smile. “It’s okay, Yang! I have Weiss!”

 

“She _is_ my  partner.” 

 

There was something about Weiss’ tone that made Yang snap. “Yeah, well, she's my sister!” her hands curled into fists as she took a step towards Weiss. 

 

“Yang-”

 

At the touch of Blake’s hand, Yang whirled around. “Stay  _ out  _ of this!” Blake’s eyes went wide as she shrank back, and suddenly Yang was hit with the image of her, shrinking away as Adam backed her into a corner. “…Oh my gosh Blake I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, I didn’t mean to…” Yang stretched out her hand, golden metal catching the light, then drew it back. 

 

The tense silence was finally broken by Ruby clearing her throat. “Um, guys? Weiss is right. We’ll head out to meet the airship. You two stay here.”

 

Yang didn’t have any energy left to fight. Her shoulders drooped as she met her sister’s gaze. “Stay safe.”

 

Ruby tried to smile, but it turned into more of a wince as she looped her arm over Weiss’ shoulders. “We will.”

 

Weiss paused, turning to Blake. “Remember what I said.”

 

Yang had no idea what that meant, and if Blake did, she didn’t acknowledge it. All she said was: “Let us know when you've reached the village and we can set up a rendez-vous.”

 

With that, Weiss and Ruby slowly made their way into the underbrush. Yang stood silently watching until she couldn’t see them anymore, and even longer after that.

  
She startled at the touch of a hand on her wrist. “We should get going,” Blake told her, though she made no move to leave, until finally Yang managed to tear her gaze away from the patch of trees that had swallowed up her sister

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for my apparent inability to commit to any sort of deadline though in all fairness I’m in my last semester of high school and graduating is…kind of important.  
> But thanks to everyone for reading/liking/commenting/etc! I really really appreciate hearing your thoughts or knowing my work made your day a bit better!  
> If you’d like to come pester me on Tumblr about actually posting an update every once in awhile I’m rwbywriter22 over there


	5. Chapter 5

Yang and Blake trekked on for the rest of the day in uncomfortable silence. Yang held her tension in her shoulders, her fists, her eyes. Every Grimm they faced, she took down easily, quickly, with no bravado or energy. 

 

Blake didn't know what to say. 

 

_ Sorry your sister got stabbed in the leg by a venomous monster, hope she's okay!  _

 

The silence dragged on.

 

“I think we should stop for the night.”

 

Blake blinked, brought out of her own thoughts by Yang’s voice. Glancing up, she saw that the sky was growing dark. “Okay.”

 

They set up camp in a nearby clearing, which took much less time now that it was only the two of them. It might have been nice, except that a cloud of worry hung over them, widening the gap between them that had been there since the fall.

 

_ The gap that I made. _

 

How Blake longed to reach across that empty space to try and fix things. But she stopped herself every time, because it was too dangerous and too much and she didn't deserve to. 

 

Blake set a small fire as the sun finally dipped behind the hills, turning the world black. 

 

“I'll take first watch,” Blake offered between bites of food.

 

Yang looked at her briefly, nodded, then returned to her meal. 

 

Was the whole mission going to be like this? Small talk and drawn out silences and dodging the elephant in the room until it crushed them to death?

 

Weiss’ words echoed in her head. 

_ “You two need to start working things out before someone gets hurt.” _

 

Someone had already been hurt, and Blake couldn't pretend she hadn't been off her game all week. Maybe it was time to try to talk. “Yang, I wanted t-”

 

“Blake, I-”

 

Blake snapped her mouth shut as she realized Yang had been talking. “I'm sorry. Go ahead.”

 

“No, it's okay, you were saying?”

 

Blake’s resolve from a moment before had fled. “Nothing. Please just say what you were going to say.”

 

Yang sighed, her shoulders slumping. “Blake, I'm sorry.”

 

Blake frowned. What could possibly make Yang feel like  _ she  _ owed  _ Blake  _ an apology? “What- what for?”

 

“For yelling at you. After Ruby was hurt.”

 

Blake could feel her heart ache inside her chest. After everything, how could Yang want to apologize for something so small? Something that Blake had deserved? “Your sister was hurt, Yang. You were scared.” 

 

“But then  _ I  _ scared  _ you. _ I know what your old partner was like. I know what me yelling at you must have felt like- but I lost control. I just keep- I'm sorry.” Yang made a frustrated growl in the back of her throat, burying her face in her hands. 

 

“It's okay, Yang. You have no reason to apologize to me.”  _ Not after what I did. _

 

Yang just shrugged, dragging her hands down her face. “You were gonna say something before.”

 

“Wha-oh. Right.”  _ Start working things out. Right.  _ There was no working this out. Whatever had been between them at Beacon was broken beyond repair after the Fall. “ I was just going to say I'm sure your sister’s okay. I know you've been worried about her.” Yang had been obsessively checking her scroll all afternoon for any news, though there had been none yet.

 

“Thanks, Blake.” Yang smiled in a way that only accentuated the dark circles under her eyes.

 

“You should get some sleep. I'll wake you in a few hours.”

 

Yang frowned. “How’s your aura?”

 

Blake rolled her eyes. “It’s fine. You look exhausted. Sleep, Yang, Please.”

 

Yang, thankfully, didn’t argue, just crawled into her bedroll and curled in on herself, leaving Blake alone in the dark with her thoughts.

  
  
  


A few hours later, the only sound in the clearing was the crackling of the fire. Blake stared into the flickering light, aimlessly fiddling with Gambol Shroud’s ribbon. A few feet away, Yang was tucked into her sleeping bag, the firelight casting odd shadows across her face.

 

It had taken Yang a long time to fall asleep- Blake had listened as she tossed and turned, her breathing tight and messy. Finally, sometime in the past hour or so, it had slowed as Yang had finally begun to doze.

 

Blake ached to make it easier for her somehow, but she had nothing to offer. Maybe in a different place or time, Blake would have crawled into Yang’s sleeping bag with and held her through the nightmares. Maybe in that world, Yang would have let her.

 

Blake tore her focus away from her partner. That was a dangerous train of thought. There were hundreds of ‘maybes’ and ‘what ifs’ to ponder in the dark. None of them changed what was wrong in the here and now. Still, it was hard not to-

 

Her train of thought was cut off by a scream. Blake leapt to her feet, readying her weapon, before tossing it aside as she realized the awful sound had come from Yang.

 

Yang was shaking, her eyes squeezed shut, her face contorted in an agonized expression. Blake immediately rushed to her side, dropping onto her knees beside her partner. “Yang? Yang, wake up!”

 

Yang’s eyes shot open-bright crimson- and she sat up so fast that her head nearly collided with Blake’s. “Blake!”

 

“Yang,it’s okay. I’m here, I’m here.” Blake reached out to take Yang’s hand, hesitated, let her arm fall back to her side. “Are you okay?” She winced as the words left her mouth. What a stupid question to ask right now.

 

Yang pressed the base of her palms against her eyes, letting out a long, shuddery breath. When she dropped her hands away, her eyes had returned to their normal colour. “Yeah,” she whispered, her voice raw, “Yeah, I’m good.”

 

“Can I get you anything?” Blake offered, shifting her weight back and forth on her heels.

 

“I’m good,” Yang repeated, shaking her head, “How long have you been on watch?”

 

“A few hours. But you should rest-”

 

Yang held up a hand to cut Blake off. “So should you, Blake. And I… I don’t think I’m going to be getting much more sleep tonight.” An involuntary shudder passed through Yang’s body. Blake fought the urge to wrap her arms around her partner until the tremors stopped.

 

Instead, she asked, “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do?”

 

Yang shook her head as she started to disentangle herself from her sleeping bag. “Just get some sleep.”

 

Blake stayed kneeling at Yang’s side a moment longer, waiting for- well, something. Maybe for Yang to ask her to stay, or for things to just start feeling okay again.

Whatever it was, it never came. So Blake just climbed into her own sleeping bag, escaping into sleep for a little while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm never sure what to say in these notes, except thank you for reading! Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments or on my tumblr-rwbywriter22. This chapter will be posted there in a few hours when I can get to my computer at home.


	6. Chapter 6

Everything that had happened the night before weighed heavily on Yang as she trudged over the endlessly rocky terrain that was still slick with yesterday’s rain. Her head pounded with every step she took, and a fog seemed to have settled over her brain.

 

There was still no word from Ruby or Weiss. So maybe Weiss’ scroll had died and they’d called when they reached the village, or maybe something had gone wrong, and maybe…

 

And just like that, Yang was spiraling again. It wouldn’t do her any good to think about her sister, she  _ knew that _ , but it was impossible not to. Ruby could be dying in the woods somewhere and the only other thing Yang had to focus on was…

 

Blake paused, aiming her weapon into the underbrush. “Do you see it?” she asked, nodding towards a shadow in the trees.

 

Not a shadow, Yang realized- a Grimm. Just a small beowolf, but a Grimm nonetheless. “Is it alone?” she asked, hoping her voice didn’t betray her twitchiness.

Before Blake could answer, the beowolf spotted them. For a moment it was just a silent staring contest between them and the monster, until it broke eye contact, threw its head back, and howled. 

 

The howling was joined by other beowolves, coming from every direction. “Well that answers  _ that  _ question,” Yang muttered as she and Blake shifted to stand back to back. 

 

Blake cocked her weapon. “How are you on ammo?”

 

Yang smirked. “Won’t need it.”

 

“Well y-”

 

Whatever Blake was going to say was cut off as the pack emerged from the underbrush, leaping in waves at the girls. Yang punched a hole in one’s chest, sending another flying into a tree with a solid kick to the stomach.

 

Now  _ this  _ was a distraction. Yang let her adrenaline take over as everything except the fight disappeared from her mind.

  
  


“Yang? Yang.”

 

“What?” Yang looked up at the sound of her name.

 

Blake stood above her, her brow furrowed in concern. “I think it’s dead.”

 

Yang looked at the Grimm she had pinned to the ground. She realized its body had all but completely evaporated under her fists. “Oh. Oops.” She climbed to her feet, kicking the Grimm corpse aside. “I guess we should get going.” Already she was missing the singular focus of a battle.

 

Blake slid Gambol Shroud back into its sheath. “Yeah, probably.”

 

Just like that, they were back to silence. Yang burned with nervous energy, the pressure already building back up under her chest. She found herself bouncing as she walked, drumming her fingers against her leg, adjusting and re-adjusting her ponytail. Anything to get rid of the buzz that filled up her whole body. Just in case, she kept her scroll in her hand at all times. Weiss would call any minute. She had to.

 

“I can try calling them if you want,” Blake offered after Yang finished checking her missed calls list for what was probably the hundredth time.

“No,” Yang replied, shoving her scroll back into her pocket. “That’s okay. She’ll call when she gets the chance. Besides, with how isolated we are, she might not be getting through. Qrow would come find us if anything happened.”  ... _ Right? _

 

“You’re right,” Blake agreed. Yang wished that either one of them could sound sure of themselves. “I’m worried too, you know.”

 

Yang recognized the response as an invitation to talk. And the two of them had a lot to talk about, even beyond the disaster that was this mission. But Yang also recognized that  _ not  _ talking about it was the only thing keeping her from completely falling apart. “Let’s just focus on finishing this mission then. The faster we do, the faster we get back to them.”

 

Blake seemed like she was going to say something more, but she closed her mouth and shook her head, slipping past Yang to continue down the path.

 

Yang wondered, in a detached sort of way, just how long they could keep going on like this, never saying what really needed to be said. Maybe forever. Maybe they would just go on letting this be their new normal, until it was just the way things were. Still, Yang’s mind drifted to that  _ one  _ moment where things had felt like they just might be okay.

 

_ The battle was over, the Relic won, enemies dead or long gone. Yang stood on the balcony, her teammates on either side of her _

 

_ All her teammates, she had to keep reminding herself. Yang glanced over to her left, taking in the girl that stood beside her. Black hair, a pair of all-too familiar cat ears- Yang had imagined seeing her again a hundred times, but Blake’s clothes were different and she looked older and she never did in Yang’s head and suddenly it hit her that this was  _ real.

 

_ Blake looked up to catch Yang staring, smiled in a way that was trying to be genuine but didn’t quite succeed. _

 

_ Weiss made some excuse and pulled Ruby back inside, leaving Yang and Blake alone. _

 

_ Yang didn’t hesitate, just stepped forward and pulled Blake into the world’s tightest hug. She had forgotten the feeling of having Blake this close. It felt like heaven. “You’re okay…” _

 

_ It was then that Blake broke down crying. “I’m sorry, Yang. I’m so sorry I left you. I had to- Adam, he- he almost killed you.” _

 

_ “Shh, Blake, it’s okay.” _

 

_ “You should hate me. Why- why aren’t you angry?” _

 

_ Yang pulled away, holding Blake by the shoulders. It was hard not to feel like if she let go, Blake would slip away again. “I am. But I missed you so, so much and right now I’m just happy you’re alive and okay, and… we’ll work it out, okay? We can work this out.” _

  
  


At the time, Yang had believed what she was saying. But then there were plans to be made and and everything had become a whirlwind and Yang and Blake had just danced around the issue, neither of them wanting to rip off the bandaid covering the bullet hole. There had been debriefing to do and then this mission so that they could afford the trip to Atlas. And now Weiss and Ruby weren’t here to make the avoiding easier and it was all just too much to bear. 

 

Just then Yang’s scroll rang, and her train of thought derailed as she scrambled to answer it. “Weiss! Weiss, is Ruby okay?”

 

There was a torturous second of staticky silence before Weiss’ voice filled the speaker. “Ruby’s being treated so…” she faded out in a tide of static.

 

Yang scowled, pressing the scroll closer to her ear. “What? I can’t--”

 

Weiss cursed. “Look I’ll just…meeting place… does the cave where we split up work? I’ll fill you in there.”

 

Yang caught Blake’s eye as she spoke. “We’ll loop back tomorrow morning and meet you there.”

 

“Don’t be late,” was all Weiss said before hanging up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a pretty uneventful chapter after a long wait but good news: 1. I graduated! which means exams and homework are no longer taking up my evenings, and 2. things get interesting next chapter ;) Hope you guys enjoyed!


	7. Chapter 7

“Blake. Get up.” Blake groaned and rolled over, swatting at the hand that was shaking her shoulder.

 

“What time is it?” she mumbled, dragging her eyes open to glare at Yang. “An’ since when do we get up this early?”

 

Yang sighed, crossing her arms. “Since we’re supposed to meet Weiss so she can tell me whether or not my sister is permanently maimed because she saved me from a giant evil scorpion.”

 

Blake squinted, trying to figure out how serious Yang was being. “Yang, I don’t think-”

 

“I know, I know. I just… I already missed one chance to be there for Ruby when she needed me. I- I don’t want to miss another one.” Yang looked away, rocking back and forth on her heels.

 

Blake realized with a stab of guilt that she  had barely heard Yang talk at all about the days she spent recovering after the Fall. And that shehad never even asked. “I’m sure Ruby knows-”

 

“Hey, it’s okay.” Yang brushed her off with a smile that had a too-sharp edge. “Let’s just get going okay?”

 

Blake packed her things as quickly as she could. Yang had already packed- Blake had to wonder if she’d even slept the night before.

 

It had rained again overnight, so the going was slow over the rocks. More than once Blake had to grab onto a tree branch to keep herself from falling. She knew that there was a joke in there somewhere about cats always landing on their feet, one that Yang might make under different circumstances. As it was, her near falls were met only with quick glances from Yang before she continued on her way.

 

They made surprisingly good progress despite the difficult terrain. By the time the sun had risen above the treeline, they were only a handful of miles away from their meeting point.

 

And then, of course, everything went to hell.

 

It started with a dull thud of footsteps.

 

Yang paused, cocking her head to the side. “Do you hear something?”

 

Blake paused to listen. Sure enough, there was a low rumble in the distance, growing closer. “It sounds like-”

 

Then the Beringel burst through the trees.

 

“Look out!” Yang yelped as the massive creature nearly stepped on them, tackling Blake out of the way of its foot.

 

By the time Blake had disentangled herself from her partner, the massive creature was swinging its fist in her direction. She ducked, and felt a spray of wood chunks bounce off her aura as the blow that was meant for her collided with a tree.

It drew back again and Blake ran, leaving a shadow clone behind to take the next hit.

 

“Hey!” Yang fired a shot at the beast from her gauntlet, drawing its attention. “Stay away from her, you useless monkey!”

 

The Beringel roared, beating its chest. Yang fired twice more-one shot bounced off the Grimm’s arm, the other hit it squarely in the face. It stumbled back with a yowl of pain.

 

Sensing an opportunity Blake left a clone behind and leapt, firing Gambol shroud down at the beast as she did so. If she could hit one of its eyes, then it’d be-

 

A startled cry from Yang suddenly disrupted her focus. She whirled in the air to see the monster’s foot crush her shadow clone underneath it-

 

And she was so focused on that she didn’t notice the fist flying at her until it was too late. It collided with enough force to drive the air out of her lungs, sending her hurtling backwards. She flew into Yang and the two of them were tumbling over each other until suddenly rock gave way to air and they were free falling.

 

The ravine- they’d fallen into the ravine. Thinking fast, Blake gripped Yang with one hand, while throwing Gambol Shroud upwards with the other. Blake’s silent prayer was answered as she felt the blade lodge in something above them and their fall came to a sudden stop as the ribbon connecting her to her weapon came to its end. Blake kept her grip on it, and on Yang, through the painful jolt that vibrated through her shoulder. The two of them hung suspended in the air, both of them panting hard.

 

Blake finally managed to catch her breath enough to speak. “You okay?”

 

Yang gave a sarcastic laugh. “I’ve been better. Any chance you could pull us up?”

 

Blake squinted upwards. She could see where Gambol Shroud had lodged itself in the rock, too far down to reasonably climb back up again. “I don’t think so. How far to the bottom?”

 

“A dozen or so feet. It sounds like our only way out, so… let me go in three, two, one…”

 

Blake released her hold on Yang’s hand, and twisted in the air so that she could see Yang hit the ground. Yang landed safely on a pile of rotting leaves and shot Blake a thumbs up.

 

Now it was Blake’s turn. Bracing herself against the rock, she yanked on the ribbon in her hands, dislodging the blade of her weapon. No longer anchored to the cliff, she fell backwards, flipping so that she landed on her feet instead of her back.

 

Coiling her weapon back up, she glanced at the patch of sky above them. What now?

 

“Dammit!” Blake turned to see Yang rooting through her coat. “I think my scroll fell out up there.”

 

“Mine is in my pocket-” Blake pulled it out, only to discover a dark screen spiderwebbed with cracks.

 

The two girls stared at one another as it sank in just how much trouble they were in.

 

“So…” Yang said finally, “We have no supplies, no scrolls, and nobody knows where we are.

Blake shook her head helplessly. This was all her fault, if she had just paid more attention-

 

“And here I was, thinking my sister being in the hospital was the worst part of my week.” Yang forced a laugh. “I guess we should start figuring out what to do next.”

  
Blake tried to ignore the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, or the way the walls felt like they were closing in. “I- yeah, I guess we should.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Things go from bad to worse” is basically the summary of this chapter- Blake and Yang have the worst luck (or an author that won’t cut them a break- sorry!)  
> Thank you guys for reading and commenting and supporting this- I just realized this fic has received over a hundred kudos! Which is very exciting for me! So I really do appreciate it your support is 100% what keeps me writing.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments :)


End file.
